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‘Buy local’ plant sale
Shoppers can support Hawaii growers at the "buy local" plant sale today from 9 a.m. to noon at the state Department of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine Branch, 1849 Auiki St. (near Sand Island). Floral designers will demonstrate and display holiday arrangements with flowers donated by the Hawaii Tropical Flower Council.
Lingle to attend California meetings
Lame duck Gov. Linda Lingle is traveling to California to attend two meetings.
She will be in the Northridge section of Los Angeles tomorrow to co-chair a task force on increasing alumni engagement with California State University, Northridge, her alma mater.
From Tuesday to Friday, Lingle will be in San Diego to attend a Republican Governors Association meeting. She is due to return to Hawaii on Friday.
Lingle aide Russell Pang said no state money is being expended during the trip.
Lingle’s term ends Dec. 6.
4 honored for saving paddleboarder
Four emergency services workers have been honored for helping save a paddleboarder in waters off Pokai Bay last month.
Mayor Peter Carlisle presented Lifesaver awards last week to paramedic Floyd Castellano, emergency medical technician Natasha Hee and water safety officers Mike Eckart and Dan Zukoski.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui mayor’s raise held up
A month after making the Maui police chief the highest paid county official, the Salary Commission held off this week on giving the mayor a raise to catch up, the Maui News reports.
The commission in October approved increasing the police chief’s annual salary to $135,000, a raise of $22,000 or 19.5 percent. The deputy police chief also received an increase, to $128,250.
The raises, which are retroactive to July 1, long had been advocated for by the Maui Police Commission, which said senior unionized officers made more money than the chief and deputy.
But commissioners Friday took no action to boost the mayor’s salary from the current level of $114,030 and also said they would leave department directors’ pay as is for now.
"I don’t feel comfortable raising salaries at this moment," Salary Commission Chairman Jeremiah Savage told the newspaper.
Mayor Charmaine Tavares has urged the commission not to increase her compensation or that of her senior aides.
Site sought for new court
The state Judiciary is looking for a relatively level, 7-acre parcel in Kailua-Kona for use as a courts complex.
The details were outlined Monday in a notice for a planned environmental impact statement, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. A public meeting on the project is set for Thursday.
"Major court operations are scattered around the Kona area at separate and disjoined facilities," the document said. "None of the existing facilities was originally designed for court use and as a result have created considerable operational difficulties, higher security risks and inconveniences to the public."
